Nail Varnish: Please remember that nail varnish and make up is not to be worn by pupils. Any intricate designs that have been painted on during the holiday need to be removed by the start of school in September. Office staff will have a stock of nail varnish remover to ensure finger nails are clean.

If you go down to the woods today you're in for a big surprise! But it's not a teddy bear's picnic, it's Leo... reading his book. It looks as though he had found a very tranquil spot for a read. Well done Leo.

Thursday, 28 August 2014

Jessica, Holly & Georgia have been busy with their reading this holiday. Can you spot the famous English landmark in the background? While their Auntie & Uncle are building their house, the girls have been making use of the equipment to find quiet places to read...

If you are running out of ideas to keep the children entertained, why not try the National Literacy Trust Book Bench trail? There are four of them to complete: The City, Bloomsbury, Riverside & Greenwich. On their website you can find maps detailing the location of the benches and quizzes for the children to complete too. For more information, check out their website:

http://www.booksabouttown.org.uk

The artwork on them is stunning - these pictures were taken on the Riverside trail. It is a very imaginative way to inspire an interest in authors and stories... so why not have a go. On the way you could also link in other London attractions: the WW1 Poppy memorial at The Tower of London, the cable car in Greenwich or St Paul's Cathedral.

If you have any photos of you with the book benches, please share them with us.

Year 5&6 pupils studied Macbeth for their Summer term literacy project and used the work of William Shakespeare as inspiration for a whole range of activities. It became the centre piece for their end of year show, pupils created clay models and artwork based on the themes and plot of the tale and we had a visit from the Sky Blue theatre company.

Once the morning workshops had finished the action spilled out onto the playground where Mercutio was confronted by Tybalt underneath the gazebo. Here they battled for family pride before Mercutio was brutally stabbed by his foe. Once word got round the playground of the epic battle that was taking place, there was only standing room left!

"I loved the Shakespeare battle at lunch time. It was so funny hearing how they would insult each other in old English!" Sophie Nickson - Year 4

On the last Wednesday morning of term our Nursery pupils had their graduation. It is a way of recognising how far they have come in such a short time. In the last three terms they have been developing key skills which will enable them to have a successful start to school when they begin Reception in September.

To be able to sit still and listen for a period of 20mins (normally to hear a story)

To be aware of other children

To know the meaning of the word 'no' and the boundaries it sets for behaviour

To understand the meaning of the word 'stop' and the link it has to safety

To be potty trained and able to use the toilet

To recognise their own name

To speak to an adult to ask for help

To be able to dress and undress themselves

To talk in sentences

To open and enjoy a book (not necessarily to read it - but to appreciate the layout, pictures and text)

Please continue to work on these key skills with your children at home.

Friday, 22 August 2014

Both Ellis & Michael managed to win football medals before the end of the Summer term. They had taken part in a tournament and helped their teams to do very well. Each of the boys managed to score a goal and they thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Congratulations to Holly Maskell, who has been chosen as the Star of the Week in the Romford Recorder. All year her bubbly personality and infectious smile have contributed a great deal to everyday class life. In the recent talent show, she was one half of an excellent comedy duo performing with real confidence.

The two new classrooms continue to take shape. Now the old salt storage containers have been knocked down, we have made an outdoor area for the Year 6 classes. This has been fenced in and new tarmac laid to make a space for outdoor learning. Inside the flooring has been laid in each of the rooms, we are just waiting for the furniture install which should take place next week.

William and Charlie need to be very careful. The story they are reading looks so good that a rather large elephant is approaching to have a look over their shoulder! Despite being surrounded by exotic animals at Colchester Zoo, the brothers still managed to find five minutes to keep up with their reading. Well done boys.

Thursday, 21 August 2014

Congratulations to these pupils who were recognised at the end of the summer term for their sporting prowess. In every PE lesson they listen carefully, reflect on their performance, demonstrate techniques for their classmates and display a healthy competitive spirit.

We can think of plenty of pupils who will be very envious that Alisha has managed to visit the home of Neymar Jnr. What a fantastic place to read! Thank goodness there wasn't a match on as the noise from 80,000 Barcelona fans would have been quite distracting.

With the aim of improving bike riding safety we have been enthusiastic participants in supporting Bikeability for many years now as well as programmes for the younger children. However it has become quite apparent that whilst many children are technically more competent there are two underlining concerns

The general fitness of the school children

The lack of opportunities to apply the skills learnt once the training has finished

At Broadford we have now created a Bike Club programme which will take place every month. Bikeability Level 2 students are invited to participate in a 2 hour bike ride which includes Clothing and Maintenance Checks along with learning modules to help remind students of general bike handling safely.

So far the Bike Club's students have really enjoyed riding on the key bike route 136 which is nearby. Already some of the less fit children are finding the ride less arduous and the children have stated they are riding their bikes between clubs with adults or older children.

"Until the bike club started I didn't get to go out on my bike at home much. I didn't realise there were so many local bike rides to do and that all my family could give it a go. Now I go out regularly with my family!" Keeley King Year 6

In addition to the above reasons, the Bike Club has proved a great opportunity for pupils to prove they are confident and able in a particular area. The direct and positive impact this has on their self esteem has helped their academic performance in class.

"If school is only about maths and English, it can be hard for some pupils to feel really good about themselves. By adding this club to the curriculum - and at no charge to the pupils - several of the pupils have shown real improvements in motivation and engagement. When they are on the bike, they are the leaders, the most confident cyclists and are able to support other pupils." Miss Reynolds Year 5&6 Leader

We are looking forward to carrying out more bike clubs during 2014/15 and become Havering fittest and most proactive bike riding school.

Thank you to all those parents who were able to make it to the EYFS Stay N Play Session. Following a wonderful assembly from Fern & Aspen class covering what they have learnt during their Reception year, there was a talk about the transition to Year 1 and a chance to have lunch in the EYFS garden.

Monday, 18 August 2014

When we were looking back through the memory cards, we found some pictures from the last Healthy Living Workshop that weren't published. Here is a chance to see some of the pictures from the Love Food Hate Waste event.

'I loved cooking with my mum. Now I will try some of these recipes at home... they were delicious!' Holly Clark Year 4

We will be looking to host more of these events next year as they are always popular with parents and pupils.

Have you got any photos of the children cooking at home that you could share with us? Please email them in or send them via Facebook.